Inna,

For wicking, most soils need to be much lighter than our usual 1-1-1 potting soil. It needs at least twice as much perlight so the soil seems much dryer. But you should experiment. Check the soil often to see that it is not too wet. If it seems constantly wet, change soil mix by adding much more perlite.

I suggest you look into higher numbers for fertilizer. I change fertilizers every two months so all parts of the plant are nourished. I use 20-20-20 then 15-30-15 then I go to a high middle number but I take plants to show so you may just want 20-20-20 and 15-30-15 or similar numbers.

If you used the formula with 9 for nitrogen all year, plants would soon show signs of needing more by turning yellowish.

Nancy

Thanks, NAncy, I'm just worried about overwatering... it is my biggest fear and this is why I hesitated wick watering in the first place... I hope it works for me.

As for the fertilizer, I have been using the same formula for quite a while with no ill effects. I also have some other formula (blue crystals from a plant store. Peters'?) that is close to 20-20-20 or something like that.

Rob from Violet Barn recommends the Liquid Grow as an all-year-around fertilizer, though.

I think when it comes to the NPK numbers on the fertilizer, you have to take into amount the concentration you use. Each number stands for the percentage, by weight, of that particular element in the fertilizer. So if you use, say, 1/4 tsp of a 7-9-5 fertilizer, it's the same as using 1/8 tsp of a 14-18-10; similarly using 1/8 tsp of 20-20-20 is the same as using 1/2 tsp of 5-5-5. So the numbers by themselves don't tell you how much of, say, nitrogen, your plants are getting -- you need to know the concentration. The numbers by themselves only tell you the relationship between the amounts of the 3 elements: in a 20-20-20, the amount of nitrogen is equal to the amount of phosphorus and also to the amount of potassium; in a 7-9-5 these proportions are different, just like they are different in the 12-36-14 Peters formula many people use. It is, indeed, possible to end up with too little nitrogen if you are using 7-9-5, but you can end up with too little nitrogen with a 20-20-20 too, if you are using a weak concentration.

I usually use a 14-12-14 at 1/4 tsp or 12-36-14 at 1/8 tsp (because I don't want to overdo on phosphorus when using 12-36-14) -- so I guess I'd use 1/4 tsp per gallon of 7-9-5 -- but really you got to see what your plants like. For example, plants grown under bright lights need more fertilizer, since they grow faster than plants grown in a windowsill, especially in the winter, when natural light is low. 1/8 tsp you are using, as you said in another thread, doesn't sound like too much to me -- I'd probably even up it a bit, now that your plants are getting more light.

Guys, how about my soil mix? I think that it's more important right now... No?

I don't wick-water, but I remember reading on this forum that people who do recommend a 1:2:1 (peat or soil : perlite : vermiculite) mix. Your mix is heavier, more peat. But the recipe listed on Rchel's Reflections seems even heavier than that, so maybe yours is fine too? I use 1:2:1 mix in oyama pots, seems to work well. I used 1:1:1 before, and it worked well also, but I was worried about overwatering, so I upped the perlite -- but I didn't lose any plants with 1:1:1 either. If you have any plants that are due for repotting, maybe move them into 1:2:1 mix, and see which mix works better?

I've put almost all of my plants on wick watering or Oyama pots and I use the 1:1:1 mixture. The last batch I made up it seemed the perlite was a smaller grade, so I upped the ratio just to make sure it was light enough, and everything is fine. I don't think it can hurt to have more perlite in a mix. Also, use less than more fertilizer, because at first I used a full 1/4 tsp. to a gallon and had signs of overfertilization. I've since cut back to about 1/8 tsp and things seem fine.

Elaine

Hi Inna,
My question is what did you use for wicking? I use 4 ply worsted weight acryllic yarn for my standards and 2 plies for my minis and semis. If your soil mix is too wet it may be the wicking.
Fred in NJ